The Knit Before Christmas Fall 2012

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Founded in 1834,

SCI is a voluntary,

ecumenical agency

affiliated with the

Episcopal Church that

provides pastoral care,

maritime education, and

legal advocacy services

for mariners.

The newsletter of the

Seamens Church Institutes

Christmas at SeaProgram

In this Issue

The Seamens Church Institute seamenschurch.org

Fall 2012 VOlUME 6/NUMBER 2

The Personal Touch

Social media advertising appeals tocorporate marketers because it seizes

on one o the most powerul salestactics known to humankind: peer-to-peer

recommendations. Through likes, shares,tweets and posts, companies get ans topromote their products with the kind o

endorsements proven to move merchandiseand generate customer loyalty.

O course, people share things on theInternet or other reasons, too. Through

social media, we share news with riendsand amily, testimonials rom our own

experiences (like how to get a nasty greasestain out o leather) and pictures (how manymore cat photos can there be?).

Our inheritance

Lots o great things rely on people passing

them along. In act, the Bible beganas a collection o stories passed on by

word o mouth. Even today, much o thedissemination o our customs, culture and

values depends on an oral tradition.

In similar ways, the spread o knitting relies

heavily on people passing it on. Sure, anyonecan pick up a pattern or some yarn at alocal store, but how likely is it that someone

without a connection to another knitterdoes that? Many people come to knitting or

crocheting through the urging or inuenceo another person.

Weaving in new threadsThe prospect o beginning any new endeavorrequiring careul hand-eye coordination

like playing a musical instrument, sailing,knitting or

crochetingcanpresent challenges

to the newcomer.To begin a process

like knitting (learning a new set o skills),most people need a source (grandmother,

brother, riend) to share valuable knowledge,perspective and encouragement.

Perhaps this sustains the culture o knittingcommunities that develop out o learning.

Both expert knitters and novices seekout circlesonline or otherwisetoconnect to others. The power o a personal

recommendation continues beyond thenovice stage, as knitters share patterns and

fnished pieces to inspire and claim victoryater a particularly challenging project.

Passing it on

Knitting never stops with one person.Teaching others seems an imperativei

not a delight. Passing on skill, insightand love make up a large part o knitting

and crochetings culture. The same holdstrue with Christmas at Sea. A personal

recommendation o knitting or our charitygets people interested. Teaching others about

the need or their knitting skills and thejoy they can bring to another human beingthrough their stitches expands our program

year by year.

We bank on your continued personal

recommendations to help spread the word.These connections not only yield more hats

and scarves but they also raise awareness othe very men and women who wear them.

The behind-the-scenes work o mariners

remains mostly untold, but their storyastory o sacrifce and devotionmust not

remain hidden. Help us spread awareness andincrease the worlds knowledge o mariners.

Pass it on!

Just s every stitch romevery knitter contributes to

mriners wrmth during thewinter months, every dollaryou give to SCI upholdsthe valuable services weprovide and on whichthe entire maritimecommunity depends.

The Person Touch 1

TEany Hts 2

TEany Ht Pttern 3

B-B Bck Sheep 4

Pcking Dy 4

SCIs New Website 5

Your Stmp o approv 5

Meet CASs Pin-Up Gir 6
http://seamenschurch.org/http://seamenschurch.org/https://donate.seamenschurch.org/give


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Christmas at SeaPaige SatoProgram Manager

973-589-5828

[email protected]://cas.seamenschurch.org

Fall 2012Published by the

Seamens Church Institute

seamenschurch.org

The Rev. David M. RiderExecutive Director

Editor, Oliver Brewer

Assistant Editor, Susannah Skiver BartonDesign & Production by BlissDesignThis newsletter is printed on recycled paper.

Need...

Patterns?

Yarn?

Ready

to mail?

2 The Seamens Church Institute The Knit Beore Christms F 2012

TEany HtsThis November, Tazo Tea iced tea bottles at twelve Starbucks coee shops in central

New Jersey are getting new caps TEAny Hats, to be specifc.

As part o a campaign to raise awareness about seaarers work and

its impact on our lives, SCI has enlisted the help o the regionalmanagement o the worlds largest coeehouse company

Starbucks. Generously, they have agreed to dress up their TAZO

iced tea bottles with miniature seaarer watch caps knitted andcrocheted by volunteers rom around the world.

The hats

SCI wanted to create a visual reminder that the

ingredients or many bottled beveragesthings likeruit, coee and teaarrive thanks to the work o

international maritime workers. What better wayto draw attention than to top each bottle with the

iconic seaarer hat?

To launch the pilot or this project, David Thomas,

manager or twelve Starbucks coee shops in theNew Jersey area, agreed to coordinate the placemento 1,200 TEAny Hats on the Tazo Tea bottles in his

regions stores. SCI enlisted the help o knitting volunteersthrough Facebook, Ravelry and the CAS blog as well as the

General Convention o the Episcopal Church, World Wide Knitin Public Day and the trade show or the yarn industry (TNNA), hoping

to get enough hats to meet this generous oer. Impressively, more than

90 knitters have contributed 1,778 miniature hats to datefar

exceeding the goal of 1,200 hats.

Dressing up

Managers rom each o the 12 participating Starbucks will come to SCIs

Port Newark International Seaarers Center or a day o volunteering in lateOctober, each picking up his or her supply o TEAny hats. They have agreed

to keep putting hats on bottles until the supply runs out.

Each TEAny Hat, handknit by a volunteer, has its own individual character

no two look alikemirroring the uniqueness and diversity o seaarers andtheir journeys. Knitters have signed the tags, which explain the project and

the importance o maritime commerce. The tagline, Baby, its cold outside but especially on the ocean this winter, encourages tea drinkers to considerhow seaarers bring us the comorts o our daily lives through all kinds o

weather and sea conditions.

Bottoms up!

Look or these TEAny Hats on select New Jersey Starbucks store shelves inNovember, and help spread the word. I you want more inormation about this

project and how to make these miniature hats, email [email protected] represent only the beginning.

See the TEAny Hatmovement online:

Twitter:#1200TEAnyHats

Facebook:

smschur.ch/teanyhats

And our Wall of Fame at

http://smschur.ch/teanywall

Come visit theChristmas at Sea

knitting room inSCIs Port Newrk

InterntionSerers Center.Emi [email protected]

to fnd out how.

Need help? Turnto your knittingfriends forsupport. Checkout Christmas atSeas Facebookpage to meetnew ones.

looking or PDF o this newsetter tht you cnred on your iPd or emi riend?

Wnt to shre the work o mriners withsomeone? Send them the oowing ink:http:// seamenschurch.org/iam
http://seamenschurch.org/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/#1200TEAnyHatshttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/#1200TEAnyHatshttps://www.facebook.com/events/224193767693856/https://www.facebook.com/events/224193767693856/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823http://seamenschurch.org/https://www.facebook.com/events/224193767693856/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/#1200TEAnyHatshttp://smschur.ch/knitb4xmashttp://smschur.ch/knitb4xmashttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christmas-at-Sea/192192557461823mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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ChristmasatSeaC a l E N D a R

semenschurch.org The Knit Beore Christms Fall 2012 3

TEAny Hat PatternYOULL NEED0.2 ounces worsted weight yarn (~12 yards)US size 5 or 6 dpns

CaST ON 24 stitches, dividing equy between 3 needes.Join to knit in the round, k2p2 or 7 rounds.

Rounds 8 16: knit.

Round 17: *k4, k2tog repet rom * to end.



Round 20: *k1, k2tog repet rom * to end. (8 stitches remin.)

Cut 4 ti & thred through ive stitches with tpestry neede.

Cinch top shut. Bring ti through center o ht, tck into pce & cut.

Weve in ny oose ends with tpestry neede.

Fod brim over. When compete, ht mesures 2 34 t by 212 wide.

November 3 Trinity Church,

Woodbridge, NJ,

Port Newrk @ 10:30m.

Pcking event.

November 3 Cvry Church youth

group, Port Newrk

@ 12:00pm.

Pcking event.

November 8 Tbernce Gir Scouts,

Port Newrk @10:30m.

Pcking event.

November 910 long Isnd, NY.

long Isnd Diocesn

Convention.

November 10 St. Georges by the River,

Port Newrk @ 10m.

Pcking event.

November 13 Grce luthern Church,

Cpe My, NJ @ 12pm.

On-site pcking event.

November 17 Gir Scout Troup 81918,

Port Newrk @ 10m.

Pcking event.

November 30 Gen Ridge Gir Scouts,

Port Newrk @ 3:30pm.

Pcking event.

December 7 Tbernce Gir Scouts,

Port Newrk @ 1:30pm.

Pcking event.

December 15 St. luke & a Sints, Port

Newrk, @10m.

Pcking event.
http://seamenschurch.org/http://seamenschurch.org/


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4 The Seamens Church Institute The Knit Beore Christms F 2012

Baa-Baa Black SheepHave you any wool?

Years ago, Christmas at Sea started a tradition o supplying

yarn or its knitters. At a time when the program was smalland local and the economy thriving, this practice helped

SCI collect the hats and scarves mariners needed orwintertime work.

As the Christmas at Sea git count grew, things began totransorm at SCIs volunteer knitting program. SCI had to

assess how best to employ the bigheartedness o thousandso knitters and get gits to mariners not just in the Port o

New York and New Jersey but also across hundreds o miles

o inland waterways and other ports across the United States.Our belie in the mission compelled us to look closely at

garments coming in and yarn going out.

We came to realize that many people used the yarn we supplied

simply because o institution and tradition. Many believed

that SCIpreerred knitters to use SCI-supplied yarn or a kindo quality control. In act, SCI only intended the no-costeconomy yarn or knitters who could not aord to purchase

their own.

SCI cannot supply free yarn to all of its knitters, and we do

not think you would want us to either. Doing so would unnelthousands o dollarsmoney that would go to oering supportservices or marinersinto the cost o yarn and postage. It

would also decrease the individuality each knitter adds to agarment by choosing the type, color and the implementation

o distinctive yarns.

Supplying yarn to low-income individuals sets Christmas at Sea

apart rom other knitting charities, allowing us to welcomeall knitters into our old. And we here at Christmas at Sea

will continue to try to fnd dierent means to continue thattradition. For most knitters, we hope the partnerships we

have ormed with online yarn vendor Jimmy Beans Wooland local stores (SCI Knit Spots) provide the encouragementand opportunity to purchase good quality yarn at a air price.

Thank you or the important contribution you make to thewarmth o mariners, and happy knitting.

Pcking Dy

Packing days begin with lots opreparation. 1. Volunteers count

out gits and ditty bags in groups oten; sort and box toiletries and treats; and

place stickers on the Santa sacks thathold individual gits.

2. The frst volunteer in the assemblyline opens each ditty bag and inserts the

handknit (usually a hat/scar set, butsometimes a vest or pair o socks or a

helmet) and Christmas cards.

3. Down the assembly line, another

volunteer selects two to three toiletriesrom SCIs donated sample-sizedshampoos, lip balms, hand lotions, etc. to

tide the seaarers over in case they run outwhile at sea.

4. The next person to receive the bag addsa handul o loose candies, popcorn or

gum. (N.B. I you have the chance to includetreats when you send your knits, seaarersalways appreciate it.)

5. The last volunteer puts ten individual

ditty bags into one large Santa sack. S/Heincludes a puzzle book or deck o cards anda letter rom SCI that gives a shout-out to

our volunteer knitters.

6. All the volunteers help put the Santa

sacks into our holding area or thechaplains to take on board the vessels.

7. The chaplains deliver thegits starting November 1 until

we run out. Once on board,the gits are stored until the

crew celebrates Christmas. Butsometimes, i its really cold,

the captain lets them open thegits early.

COUPON

Receive 20% oChristmas at Sea-appropriate yarn at

Jimmy Beans Wool. Simply enclose the Jimmy

Beans Wool receipt with your completed

CAS project. Check their website at

http://smschur.ch/jimmybeans for more details.

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semenschurch.org The Knit Beore Christms Fall 2012 5

SCIs New WebsiteConnecting with mariners across thousands of miles ofwater and with the folks who support mariners spreadequally as far, SCI launched its own online news source atseamenschurch.org this past July. With the help ofOcean-7Development, a reshaped responsive website provides thelatest information about SCIs work laid out in a dashboardof articles, photos, videos and archives.

In the Know

What do you know about SCI? Thissummer at the Episcopal Churchs

General Convention, representatives othe organization asked attendees that

question. SCI has designed its new siteto welcome both the newcomer (thosewho know little or nothing about the

work o the organization) as well asthose amiliar with the 178-year-old

Institute. Visitors to SCIs new site canhide the inormational banner visible

on a frst-time visit to seamenschurch.org. Simply click the X next to thewords Im in the know, and the

banner disappears.

Additionally, SCI has made it easier to

fnd the links most requently used by

mariners and supporters. The Quicklinks on the sites ront

page allow users to navigate directly to popular inormation,including Christmas at Sea.

A New Home for Everything Christmas at Sea

Beginning in 2013, the new website will host all o the

inormation or our Christmas at Sea knitters, includingpatterns, SCI Knit Spots and guidelines. SCIs site,

seamenschurch.org, will oer oneconvenient place to share withothers the work o the Institute

and how compassionate stitcherscan get involvedmariners and

knitters dwelling in the same virtualspace online.

Online Community

Need to change your address, view yourgiving history or update your details

or monthly contributions? SCIs new

Online Community gives donorscontrol o their fnancial record in theInstitutes database. Using the link

in the upper right-hand corner o thepage, individuals and companies canregister or events, make contributions

and sign up or newsletters.

Your Stampof Approval

When I was younger,I remember seeing a

shampoo commercialon TV in which the actresshad such a good experience with the

shampoo she told two riends, and theytold two riends, and so on and so on.

While I cant speak to the efcacy othe shampoo, I can state unequivocally

that the ad succeeded in helping meunderstand the power o opinion. I think

o the phrasing (she told two riends)and the image o the TV screen breaking

up into smaller and smaller images asmore people learned about the product.

Many o our Christmas at Sea knitterscome to us through word o mouth.Almost weekly I get a letter or phone

call rom a new knitter saying she met

someone knitting at the

doctors or dentists ofce,struck up a conversation

and learned about ourprogram. More recently,

this word o mouth hasextended into the worldo online networking.

(You can join theconversation on our

Facebook and Ravelry pages.)

Just this month, the reach o word o

mouth became even more evident.Earlier this year, Yankee Magazine ran a

story on yarn bombing (when knitters

decide, under cover o night, to bring aknitted art installation to some landmarkor public object, like a park tree orbench). A CAS knitter responded to

Yankee by writing a letter to the editor,mentioning that i she had ree time or

knitting, she preerred to knit or CAS.

The response rom Yankee knitters has

been wonderul. Spectacularly, just a ewweeks ago, I received two HUGE boxes

rom an unrecognized address in upstate

New York (and yes, I do recognizethe names and addresses o most CAS

stitchers). I opened the boxes to fnd542 knitted beanies! The group, the Firs

Presbyterian Women o Watertown,NY, had knit or their local army basein the past, but recently received a

message that their services were nolonger needed. Timing was in our

avor when one o their group saw theYankee Magazine story, and voila! CAS

received 542 mariner caps, which willmake 542 mariners warmer this winter.

It pleases me to no end when you talk

about CAS to riends, amily or evenrandom strangers. As a knitter, youpay no higher compliment than torecommend SCI to others. Your stamp

o approval is so valuable!

Thank you or sharing your opinions.
http://seamenschurch.org/http://seamenschurch.org/http://cas.seamenschurch.org/


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Meet Christmas at SeasPin-Up GirIn our knitting progrms hedqurters in PortNewrk, we enjoy mking connections. We ookorwrd to receiving questions nd comments, ndwe even pprecite just cht. Brbr H o lkePcid, Forid took the time to greet us, shring herstory o how she ound Christmas at Sea.

The youngest o our children, Barbara grew up

on Long Island in the 1930s. She began knittingearlyat the age o twelve. During World War

II, her mother Lucille suggested she knit socks or herbrother serving overseas in the United States Marine Corps. Barbara and her

amily sent the socks as part o a care package to the South Pacifc, and herbrother reported back that the socks kept his eet dryan even bigger hit than

moms cookies!

Barbara married in 1954 and raised six children (three boys and three girls).

She relocated to Miami Beach in 1974, achieving a successul career in thehotel industry. She retired in 1985 and moved to central Florida. In addition toknitting or Christmas at Sea, Barbara enjoys reading, crossword puzzles and spending time

with her children and grandchildren.

Barbara has another claim to ame along with knittingor Christmas at Sea. She shared with us a portrait oher painted by the artist Rol Armstrong. A well-

known pin-up artist o the early twentieth century,Mr. Armstrong painted Barbaras portrait, naming it

Bathing Girl. Curious to see? See the picture above.

In 1990, Barbara started knitting or Christmas at Sea

ater seeing an article in a newspaper. In 2011, she knit

more than 100 mariner scarves or SCInearly onescar every three days!

Paiges note: I LOVE learning more about all our knitters.

I you have an interesting story (knitting-related orotherwise) and want to share it, let me know! Id love toinclude it in our newsletter.

A Rose ByAny OtherName

There is ot in nme. Wht

the nme o this newsetter,

The KnitBeforeChristmasI we chnged the newsetter

nme, keeping the content

the sme, woud it dd new

perspective? Woud new n

sme s sweet?

What do you thin

Send your suggestions (new n

or your pe to keep the curre

one) to cas@seamenschurch.

or by mi to 118 Export St .,

Newrk, NJ 07114.

Lets Party! Supporting Christmas at Sea,

Supporting Seafarers

Many stitchers oten ask how else

they can support our seaarers andour program, aside rom knitting.

Did you know that SCI hosts an annual eventaimed at sharing the work o the Institute andits volunteer knitting program?

The Christmas at Sea Gala and Auction

at the New York Yacht Club brings togethermany SCI supporters rom all dierent walkso lie, and we would love to see you there.

Enjoy a great opportunity to meet new people,

win some terrifc auction prizes and enjoy

oodall in support o SCI and the marinwe serve.

Christmas at Sea Gala & AuctionNovember 29, 2012 6:008:30pm

The New York Yacht Club37 W. 44th Street, New York, NY

For more information,

call 212-349-9090.

Documents

The Knit Before Christmas Fall 2012